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Spring Commencement 2009

More than 4,500 students are scheduled to graduate at Spring Commencement on May 22-23. The ceremonies take place at ARCO Arena in Sacramento.

Each spring, the dean of each college at the University selects a student who excels academically and contributes to the campus and community. The seven students were presented with a Dean’s Award on April 21.

President Alexander Gonzalez will award the President’s Medal to one of these students at Commencement. The Dean’s Award recipients are:

Christina Arrodondo is graduating with honors with a degree in American Sign Language/Deaf Studies from the College of Education. She served as a student assistant in an American Sign Language class to help her fellow students. … Tim Bender is graduating with a degree in Computer Science from the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He has brought home first place awards in programming contests and is president of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Sac State Chapter. … Roberta Chevrette will earn degrees in Anthropology and Women’s Studies from the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies. She pursued both degrees while working full-time and was nominated for the Dean’s Award by both academic departments. … Nancy Chiang is graduating with a degree in Nursing from the College of Health and Human Services. Her extensive community work includes six years with the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services and teaching nutrition courses at St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children. … Kevin Gustafson will graduate with a degree in Geography (Cartography, Geographic Information Systems and Planning) from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. His Sac State GPA is 4.0, and his volunteer work includes 11 years with the Okizu Foundation, which provides recreation to children with cancer. … Joshua Saldate graduated in December with a degree in Spanish from the College of Arts and Letters, minoring in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. He has worked as a bilingual instructional assistant in area schools and served as a family advocate and interpreter in local communities. … Jaspreet Singh will graduate with a degree in Accountancy from the College of Business Administration. He has volunteered at the Red Cross, the Sacramento Food Bank and American Cancer Society while working full-time and part-time jobs to help pay for his education. … Gonzalez will present George Crandell with the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service. Crandell has served the University for 23 years as a board member of The University Foundation at Sacramento State and a founding member of the President’s Circle.

The University will confer an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters upon Fred Teichert, a longtime leader in Sacramento’s philanthropic community. Teichert is a member of The University Foundation at Sacramento State board of directors and the President’s Circle. He also serves as executive director of the Teichert Foundation, which supports dozens of charities and organizations.

— John Kepley and Svetlana Tsiberman